Cummins recalls X12 diesel engines because of fire risk

Cummins Inc. is recalling nearly 11,000 X12 diesel engines sold to 25 makers of off-road and specialty equipment because a high-pressure fuel leak from a cracked fuel tube led to a vehicle fire and dozens of warranty claims.

The affected engines built between April 2016 and October of this year, are equipped with high- pressure common rail fuel systems that were installed in mixers, coaches, emergency and recreational vehicles, refuse trucks, and cranes. 

The recall covers the entire population of engines equipped with a certain injector fuel supply tube that can crack, resulting in a high-pressure fuel leak. Specifically, the fuel tubes between the fuel rail and the injector for cylinders four, five and six may be susceptible to cracking due to metal fatigue failure resulting from a combination of vibration strain, assembly strain and material weakness.

Cummins (NYSE: CMI) said only 1% of the 10,938 engines recalled are expected to have the defect. They were sold to 25 vehicle manufacturers including Daimler Trucks North America, Autocar and Oshkosh Defense.